TRIAD HIGH SCHOOL ANNOUNCES 2026-27 ILLINOIS STATE SCHOLARS - Illinois Student Assistance Commission Congratulates 65 Triad High School Students for Their Exceptional Academic Accomplishments
Troy, IL – Triad High School Principal Kelli Barbour is pleased to announce that a record-setting 65 students from the Triad High School graduating class of 2026 have been designated as Illinois State Scholars.
The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), the state’s college access and financial aid agency, presents this annual recognition of academic achievement to exceptional Illinois high school students who rank in the top ten percent of graduates from Illinois high schools. This year, nearly 19,200 honorees joined the other outstanding students who have been honored since the designation was first introduced in 1958. The Illinois State Scholar program is awarded to high school seniors based on ACT or SAT scores, the sixth-semester class size, and unweighted class rank and Grade Point Average (GPA). Congratulations to the following Illinois State Scholars!
Carson Abry, Merik Alford, Fallon Bagby, Claire Boehne, Brooklyn Boeshans, Kamryn Bohnenstiehl, Noah Bonner, Kolbe Bozarth, Luke Buchana, Jackson Burke, Riley Cannon, Bradynn Carey, Xavier Carter, Joe Cass, Kaylee Deatherage, Nolan Droege, Cadence Faulk, Louis Forster, Jocelyn Fortin, Presley Gruber, Emerson Guidry, Matthew Harrison, Reid Heffren, Elise Heinle, Jose Hernandez, Layna Hueter, Maximus Katich, Molli Klein, Brayden Link, Allison Lintz, Brayden Litteken, Addison Mallette, Conner Martens, Claire Maxwell, Alexia Metcalf, Daniel Montano, John Montgomery, Tate Moore, Mason Moss, Reece Nadler, Serina Nation, Jackson Naylor, Elijah Noonan, Ella Oney, Brooklyn Pace, Cameron Powers, Reyna Rehg, Jackson Reiter, Brayden Riney, Cora Ritter, Kayleigh Rosnick, Sophia Schardan, Carson Snow, Sierra Spealman, Milo Stanton, Alexander Sullivan, Presley Thompson, Tyler Thompson, Riley Tutka, Tyler Tutka, Lucy Tylka, Ethan Walter, Luke Wilderman, Daniel Winfield, Chase Wulfing
“ISAC proudly congratulates this year’s Illinois State Scholars for their commitment to excellence,” said ISAC Executive Director Eric Zarnikow. “Their dedication will continue to benefit them in college and beyond. We also extend our sincere appreciation to the families, educators, and communities who support and guide these students every day.”
ISAC provides year-round support to students and families, assisting them with college planning and the financial aid process. Students can attend college application, financial aid, and financial aid application completion workshops hosted by ISAC and/or our partners, or they can getone-on-one assistance from an ISACorpsTM member in their community. The ISACorps are recent college graduates who are trained to serve as near-peer mentors to middle and high school students and their families in Illinois, helping them navigate the higher education planning and financial aid process. Students can connect with their local ISACorps member at https://studentportal.isac.org/isacorps, or attend a free workshop in their area, https://studentportal.isac.org/Events. They can also make a free one-on-one virtual appointment with an ISACorps member for assistance with postsecondary planning and financial aid applications, by visiting isac.org/booking.
To help ensure that a student can get all the financial aid they might be eligible to receive for postsecondary education, high school seniors and their parents should complete the 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), or in some cases, the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) as soon as possible. The FAFSA is the application for federal, most state, and for some institutional financial aid for postsecondary education, including career and technical education, certificates, and two- or four-year degree programs.
Visit the ISAC Student Portal, https://studentportal.isac.org/, for applications for specialized ISAC financial aid programs; free tools and resources to help with college and scholarship search and career exploration, and to compare financial aid offers so you can make more informed decisions about college; to get quick tips about college planning and financial aid from our College MinuteTM videos, and more. Students can sign up for the ISAC College Q&A free text messaging service and get answers to their college and financial aid questions sent directly to their phones from ISAC experts. Students and parents with questions about ISAC’s scholarship and grant program applications can contact ISAC’s Student Engagement and Support Services, 800- 899-4722 (ISAC).